Manchester United Transfer News: Louis Van Gaal's Key Targets and Latest Rumours

Manchester United look to be in pole position to land Hoffenheim star Roberto Firmino, with reports claiming that they’ve pulled away from their rivals in the race to sign the Brazilian star.

According to reports cited by Jamie Sanderson of Metro, the 23-year-old has been closely scouted by both United and Liverpool this season, but the Red Devils have moved ahead of their eternal enemies in the fight to bring Firmino to the Premier League. Here’s a look at the kind of qualities he would add to either side:

The piece claims that the Reds are set to make an £18.6 million bid for the player in an attempt to lure him to Anfield, but United could swoop with a more lucrative deal. For that kind of fee, Firmino has the potential to be a wonderful acquisition for either of the Premier League giants.

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Firmino has helped himself to six goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga so far this season, with his club enjoying an excellent campaign.

Inspired by the Brazilian, Hoffenheim still have an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League and with Firmino attracting attention from across the continent, you suspect they’ll need to secure elite-level European football if they’re to keep hold of him beyond the summer.

Indeed, WhoScored.com had Firmino ranked as the fourth best player in the world after an excellent 2014, such is his outstanding quality:

He looks as though he has the requisite class to cut it in the Premier League. Firmino boasts a plethora of fundamental technical skills, an eye for a pass and intricate dribbling, but there’s an underpinning work rate to complement his polished attacking attributes. That’s something that would definitely appeal to Van Gaal.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Bleacher Report’s Stan Collymore took a look at what kind of players United need to target in the summer window:

There are few better rounded attacking midfield men in the Bundesliga at the moment than Firmino, but one of them is arguably Wolfsburg’s Kevin de Bruyne, a player who United have also been linked with, per Liam Corless of The Mirror.

But as noted in the piece, the player’s manager Dieter Hecking has revealed the playmaker in not interested in going anywhere at the moment:

"

He is aware of the interest from the top European clubs.

But he has given me the impression that he is not interested in the matter; he just wants to play football.

Kevin is smart, he is not promising that he will stay at Wolfsburg until 2019, but I can see him playing for us in the Champions League next season.

"

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Since turning his back on the Premier League and signing for the Bundesliga club, De Bruyne’s development has been remarkable. Given an extended role in his favoured position, he’s helped Wolfsburg climb to second place in the table and his polished style of midfield play looks set to grace the Champions League next season.

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

As noted by Alex Chaffer of FourFourTwo, De Bruyne has been a creative force of nature for his team in 2014/15:

Here’s how De Bruyne and Firmino shape up in comparison to United’s current attacking midfield options in league matches this campaign:

	Firmino	De Bruyne	Di Maria	Mata	Fellaini
Apps (Sub)	25	25	19 (1)	18 (6)	11 (7)
Goals	6	9	3	5	4
Assists	7	16	8	3	0
Key Passes per Game	2.1	4.8	2.3	1.3	0.7
Dribbles per Game	4	1.8	2	0.4	0.7

At this juncture, it seems as if Firmino is the more realistic option for the Red Devils. De Bruyne is settled in Wolfsburg and is at the core of a team that seems to be going places. After his Chelsea nightmare—in which he was on the periphery of the squad—he’s a player acutely aware of the importance of first-team football and as such, should stay in the Bundesliga.

By contrast, Firmino looks as though he’s ready for a move. He’s been excelling for Hoffenheim for a long time now and while they’ve improved as a result, they don’t have the gravitas to attract top players and challenge the elite Bundesliga sides. There’ll surely be a host of teams interested in the Brazilian this summer, so if United could get him on board, it’d be a major coup for Van Gaal.